New York -- U.S. oil prices rose slightly to $98.30 a barrel Monday as the U.S. dollar, along with U.S. and European temperatures, fell amid fears of tight inventories.

Story:

Light, sweet crude for January delivery advanced 12 cents, or 0.12 percent, to $98.30 a barrel in mid-morning trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The dollar traded at $1.4843 against the euro Monday after reaching a record low of $1.4967 last week.

Beijing -- Regional leaders are undermining China's national campaign to reduce its staggering energy consumption, The New York Times reported Saturday.

Story:

The thwarting of the energy campaign shows the difficulties of trying to impose reform in a country where regional economic disparities are growing rapidly, the Times said.

The energy campaign required an increase in power prices to discourage the growth of large power-consuming industries. But in China's western region, for example, local leaders fearing the impact on the economy exempted a huge aluminum maker from the price hike, enabling it to keep consuming 20 percent of the region's power supply, the Times reported.

China's energy consumption has more than quadrupled since 1980 making it the world's largest user of coal, the dirtiest type of energy, the Times reported, noting China's coal consumption is projected to double during the next two decades.

New York -- Crude oil left early losses behind and recorded its highest U.S. closing level ever in a thin, volatile post-Thanksgiving session Friday.

Story:

Futures for January delivery gained 89 cents, or 0.91 percent, and ended the day at $98.18 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

For the week, oil prices climbed $4.34, or 4.4 percent.

The positive market momentum overcame data indicating the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries was raising its oil output. Oil prices took a dive after two such reports but managed to come back.

Oil Movements, the British-based consultancy, indicated OPEC will have boosted production by 720,000 barrels a day in the four weeks through Dec. 8.

Heating oil closed up 1.68 cents at $2.7042 a gallon and reformulated gasoline rose 2.99 cents to $2.467 a gallon.

New York -- Crude oil prices were down $1 to $96.29 a barrel in early electronic trading Friday on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Story:

Futures prices for January delivery almost reached the $100 level Wednesday before the Thanksgiving holiday break at $99.29 a barrel before falling back. Reports said among the concerns that fueled the surge were weak crude supplies and the fading dollar.

Heating oil was 1 cent lower at $2.6774 a gallon. Reformulated gas was down 2.06 cents at $2.4165 a gallon.

Natural gas was running ahead by 0.08 cents at $7.62 per million British thermal units.

The AAA said the average gallon of regular unleaded gasoline at the pump was going for $3.086, down a fraction from Thursday's $3.087.

Viktor Christienka, Russian industry and energy minister, Wednesday told the Lithuanian daily Lietuvos Rytas the refusal to continue supplying oil via the pipeline cannot be considered as Moscow's revenge on Polish acquisition of the refinery.

Christienka said the repair of the "Friendship" link to the Maziekiu refinery in Lithuania was not feasible and added no "political causes" should be seen in Russia's decision to stop using the pipeline.

New York -- U.S. oil prices drew back from record highs of more than $99 a barrel Wednesday amid fears fuel supplies would tighten during the U.S. Northeast winter.

Story:

The U.S. dollar fell to a record low of $1.4855 against the euro on the foreign-exchange market before gaining strength. The weaker dollar increased oil's attractiveness to international buyers. Oil is a dollar-denominated commodity.

Light, sweet crude for January delivery rose 33 cents, or 0.34 percent, to $98.36 a barrel in midmorning trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It had been as high as $99.29 a barrel in electronic trading overnight, breaking the $98.62 intraday record set last week.

Washington -- U.S. consumers will spend $1.8 billion on gasoline this year's U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, an economic consulting firm said Tuesday.

Story:

The figure is 39 percent, or nearly $520 million, more than during Thanksgiving 2006, due to gasoline price increases, Legg LLC said.

"High oil and gasoline prices will cost Americans more than half a billion dollars in travel this Thanksgiving holiday," director John Urbanchuk said.

"That is money that won't be spent at Wal-Mart or online as the holiday shopping season begins in earnest."

The average traveling family will spend $16.80 more on gasoline to travel to a family Thanksgiving dinner this year than last, Legg said.

U.S. consumers will also get pinched at the dinner table, with turkey retail prices up an average 12 percent from last year, "a reflection of the impact soaring oil and fuel costs are having on food items across the board," Legg said.

Beijing -- The year-old Three Gorges Dam along the Yangtze River has spawned environmental problems such as water pollution and landslides, Chinese officials admitted.

Story:

The dam is the world's largest man-made producer of electricity from renewable energy, The New York Times reported Monday. Hydropower is central to one of China's green initiatives, a plan to expand renewable energy by 2020.

The Three Gorges Dam is at the center of an energy challenge. China's economy relies on electricity producers, such as coal-fired plants, that pollute the air. But dams, which are cleaner electricity producers, displaced millions of people and triggered environmental issues, the Times reported.

"It's really kind of a no-win situation," said Jonathan Sinton, China program manager at the International Energy Agency. "There are no ideal choices."

In a previous stage of solarmania, the shares of companies up and down the value chain seemed to press upward in unison. Now this borderline-bubbly market has seen a bit of bifurcation. While the clearest leaders bound higher, the wheels have begun to come off some of the shakier outfits.

Navigation

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on themoneytimes.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. TheMoneyTimes advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decision.